U.S. Defense Secretary Gates Visits AfghanistanU.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates paid a visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, arriving in Kabul on Thursday, as shared in a feature on The Washington Post. His visit, according to the feature, is happening during the time of the arrival of the last U.S. reinforcements in the country. Secretary Gates was met by NATO commander Gen. David Petraeus upon his arrival in Afghanistan.

On Friday, the Secretary travelled to Kandahar province…

Whenever one of these big shots shows up over in that part of the world, I look for something to squeeze up to the surface in Zahedan, like puss oozing out of a zit.

Where is Usama bin Laden, and what is happening in Zahedan today?

Zahedan, Iran, with a few other rumored locations for UBL, Zabol, Iran, Quetta, Pakistan, and the Taliban stronghold Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Click for large version.)

But I thought the Sunni would be using truck bombs, not vest bombers. The suicide vest is more like Hamas.

I still wonder where Osama bin Laden in hiding out: somewhere up in Khorasan, the recent guess? Perhaps in the country between Zahedan and Kandahar as I have been speculating this last year or so? Over in Pakistan?

Zahedan, Iran, with a few other rumored locations for UBL, Zabol, Iran, Quetta, Pakistan, and the Taliban stronghold Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Click for large version.)

It has been interesting the past year, trying to figure out what the heck is going on in Iran vis-a-vis Osama bin Laden and al Quaeda. The Iran election crisis a year ago brought the attention of many eyes to Iran in a new way, so it might be that the walk to freedom in Iran will also work out eventually to the capture of a major criminal terrorist.

The supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has indicated that he and his followers may be willing to hold peace talks with western politicians.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, two of the movement’s senior Islamic scholars have relayed a message from the Quetta shura, the Taliban’s ruling council, that Mullah Omar no longer aims to rule Afghanistan. They said he was prepared to engage in “sincere and honest” talks…

What does it mean?

The reports are true, and the Taliban are ready to become normal political participants.

The reports are false, and the Taliban are using the jaw jaw method to stall for time.

Maybe there is another interpretation.

Perhaps the Taliban are worried about purple fingertips. The intractable Fallujah/Anbar situation resolved into normal political participation. A 2008 review from Fox News:

But perhaps the biggest sign that the situation has changed for the better for Sunnis living in Anbar: With the help of the Marines and the Iraqi police, nearly 100 percent of the eligible voting population were registered a month ago to vote in upcoming provincial elections.

“They seem to add another political party every day,” Kelly said. “We didn’t have a single security violation of any kind. They’re at least going to give the electoral process a shot … at least going to give democracy a chance.”

The Sunnis, who fueled a large part of Iraq’s insurgency, boycotted the last election for Parliament with only 3 percent of Sunnis participating. Now they feel they have a stake in the government.

In any case, the Taliban talking with powers that be has a protecting effect on Osama bin Laden if he really is in the south of Afghanistan, somewhere between Zahedan, Iran and Quetta, Pakistan, between Kandahar, Afghanistan and Zabol, Iran.

My opinion is (b), since the president has shown ineptitude with Iran’s time-buying nuclear tactics: Jaw jaw with an Oval Office fool until you can nuke Israel, then who cares? Similarly, because the US recently displayed hostility to Hamid Karzai, the Taliban can jaw jaw with the Oval Office fool until they can get a long knife into Karzai’s neck.

It should not be too difficult to confirm whether or not the images of Rigi flashed during the press conference match up to the Manas military base.

Good. Trust but verify.

At least Annie Jacobsen is keeping her judgement about who is really talking about what happened to Rigi and who is spouting a myth. My guess, each of the dancing terror masters mentions a bit of truth and a bit of fiction.

Notably silent: the US Marines over in Helmand Province. Cf., Sherlock Holmes’ famous observation concerning the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.

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